IPL registers lowest TV rating in last five years

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been one of the biggest commercial sports tournaments in the past decade. However, with the arrival of the latest TV ratings, there is a significant concern amongst the sponsors and advertisers as the brand has registered its lowest TV ratings in the opening week of the tournament in the last five years.

As per data sourced produced from subscribers of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India, the first eight matches of the IPL 2022 scored a TVR of 2.52, compared to a TVR of 3.75 from last season, the overall reach of the first week also dropped 14% to 229.06 million, which stood at 267.7 million last year. The tournament amassed the best figures before the pandemic with an overall reach of 268 million, while ratings were at 3.85 TVR.

An unnamed sports marketing expert commented on the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) stance on the base price of the upcoming media rights in the wake of the recordings, 

“If you look at the TV viewership of IPL over the last three years, it is clearly visible that there is not enough room to grow the viewership substantially. It has already gone deeper into Hindi and most of the regional markets, and the only way to increase is probably putting it on the free-to-air (FTA) platform, which will ultimately kill the value.”

He then added that the media rights owners are more than likely to suffer in the coming years if the Board does not lower its stance on the prices; the holding organisation may not be able to hold the rates.

However, it is essential to note that the last edition of the IPL had some of the biggest rivalries on display in the opening week of the tournament, with teams like Chennai Super Kings, Mumbai Indians, and Royal Challengers Bangalore still to go up against each other this season.